Not to Blame' is widely believed to be Joni Mitchell's condemnation of Browne as a wife-beater who drove his first wife to suicide and a coward who always says he's not to blame.
Mitchell released this attack on Browne not long after rumours circulated suggesting that Browne had beaten Daryl Hannah. Browne denied the rumour. He's said he tried to talk to Mitchell about her song, but wasn't able to.
Hannah sustained injuries during the incident, but she's never directly accused Browne. Her press release on the day of the incident said, 'She received serious injuries incurred during a domestic dispute with Browne for which she sought medical treatment'.
Hannah's uncle attended the clinic and publicly confirmed the injuries. Browne has always denied assaulting Hannah but has never explained how she got those injuries. No charges were made against Browne, and there was no proper police investigation.
Having carried out my own investigation, my opinion - for what it's worth - is that Browne almost certainly didn't assault Hannah. I think that Hannah might have had an autistic rage episode* during which either she inflicted the injuries on herself, or she attacked Browne and was injured when he defended himself.
David Yaffe's 2017 biography of Mitchell, 'Reckless Daughter', based on extensive recorded conversations with her, shows that, 45 years after her brief relationship with Browne, she carries an intense and bitter hatred for him. Yaffe described 'Not to Blame' as 'a violent and personal attack'.
See also my comment (if it's still there) under Hejira's 'Song For Susan'. That song includes a coded implication that Browne caused the suicide of his first wife, Phyllis Major.
Major suffered extreme postnatal depression. She took an overdose of barbiturate sleeping pills. There's no corroboration whatsoever for Mitchell's suggestion in both 'Not to Blame' and 'Song For Sharon' that Browne drove her to it.
See, if you will, my blogpost about the rumour that Jackson Browne assaulted Daryl Hannah. It includes a detailed account of Mitchell's brief relationship with Browne, and its bitter aftermath.
Not to Blame' is widely believed to be Joni Mitchell's condemnation of Browne as a wife-beater who drove his first wife to suicide and a coward who always says he's not to blame.
Mitchell released this attack on Browne not long after rumours circulated suggesting that Browne had beaten Daryl Hannah. Browne denied the rumour. He's said he tried to talk to Mitchell about her song, but wasn't able to.
Hannah sustained injuries during the incident, but she's never directly accused Browne. Her press release on the day of the incident said, 'She received serious injuries incurred during a domestic dispute with Browne for which she sought medical treatment'.
Hannah's uncle attended the clinic and publicly confirmed the injuries. Browne has always denied assaulting Hannah but has never explained how she got those injuries. No charges were made against Browne, and there was no proper police investigation.
Having carried out my own investigation, my opinion - for what it's worth - is that Browne almost certainly didn't assault Hannah. I think that Hannah might have had an autistic rage episode* during which either she inflicted the injuries on herself, or she attacked Browne and was injured when he defended himself.
David Yaffe's 2017 biography of Mitchell, 'Reckless Daughter', based on extensive recorded conversations with her, shows that, 45 years after her brief relationship with Browne, she carries an intense and bitter hatred for him. Yaffe described 'Not to Blame' as 'a violent and personal attack'.
See also my comment (if it's still there) under Hejira's 'Song For Susan'. That song includes a coded implication that Browne caused the suicide of his first wife, Phyllis Major.
Major suffered extreme postnatal depression. She took an overdose of barbiturate sleeping pills. There's no corroboration whatsoever for Mitchell's suggestion in both 'Not to Blame' and 'Song For Sharon' that Browne drove her to it.
See, if you will, my blogpost about the rumour that Jackson Browne assaulted Daryl Hannah. It includes a detailed account of Mitchell's brief relationship with Browne, and its bitter aftermath.
My detailed analysisof 'Not to Blame': soothfairy.com/2015/03/29/jackson-browne-and-daryl-hannah/